A mass vaccination campaign against poliomyelitis targeting 800,000 children under the age of five will be launched in two phases starting from September 11, in Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Asir, Najran and Jizan. Even though Saudi Arabia was declared free of poliomyelitis in 1995, the vaccination program is continuing as a precautionary measure, especially as millions of pilgrims from all over the world visit the country every year.